Ethereal
by Our-Lady-B o n b o n
Summary: Vampire,Pureblood and murderer-she was all of it.He had every reason not to love her.By all rights,his emotions towards her should have been beyond loathing and that was exact what he thought.So...what was this strange feeling? ZeroxOC PleASE R N R!
1. Loathed

**Disclaimer:**_ Vampire Night…by…._

_Ethereal….by…..B O N-chan_

**Pairing:**_ Zero Kiryu and OC_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Warning:**_ Possible mistakes. Please forgive._

~~~~~~~~~E-T-H-E-R-E-A-L~~~~~~~~~~

A bloodcurdling scream echoed off the deserted lane as a dark blanket wrapped over the area, the Vampire's Night once again.

Thick crimson liquid pooled around the single limp figure as it lay, as if dead, in the arms of the creature as it uttered a triumphant inhuman laugh nearing the brink of insanity as he reveled in the young girl's pain, a single trail of blood trickling down from the pulled up corners of his mouth.

"Pretending to be dead won't save you, little girl," He said, sounding delighted nonetheless at the fact that she had attempted such a futile task, "I'm no bear. I can hear your frantic little heart beats." He let out another sadistic laugh as his fangs sunk back inside the girl's throat taking in greedy gulps of her blood as the girl struggled weakly, uttering small cries of help.

The pain pierced through her entire body as if numerous daggers were being plunged into her and being extracted brutally only to stab her yet again. It was unbearable to the point of insanity and the girl only wished for one thing- for it to end. She had never in her life been subject to such immeasurable pain and just wanted death to arrive and relieve her of it. Nothing was worth so much hurt, let alone life. She gasped and choked for air as she felt the life being drained out of her. The pure white snow- the snow she had once loved- was tainted with the dark liquid that was her blood. Where was death? Why wasn't it claiming her even though she was literally begging it to?

A sudden sharp flash of indescribable pain at her throat and then she began feeling light as if a weight on top of her was being moved. She opened her eyes with great difficulty- the task had once been so easy and now it seemed as if she had to expend a great amount of energy just to accomplish such a feat. She made out the presence of two figures- one of them was the terrifying creature that had been torturing her and the other…looked human. And yet, she could never be sure because Appearances _were_ deceptive. The new figure held a strange kind of gun and she watched through blurry vision as her torturer died and a gunshot pierced through the cold night air.

Her vision was now becoming hazy as she struggled to clear the fuzziness covering her eyes. And yet, it was a battle long lost battle. Aria felt her eyes slowly close as her consciousness slipped away and the darkness claimed her into realms of peace. The last thing she saw, was the new figure turn his head towards her direction , gun pointed straight at her. But she could not help but utter a final word.

"Thank….you.." _Those lavender eyes are so…pretty._

A fist came crashing down on the table issuing a thunderous bang. Clearly, the fist's owner was _not _pleased.

"Why didn't you allow me to kill her?" Clear lavender eyes glared fiercely down at the calm man sitting behind the desk.

"Come now, Zero. Are you really fond of killing so much?" Kaien replied, the humor evident in his eyes.

"This isn't a joking matter Kaien! That girl is a _pureblood!_" He yelled adamantly.

"Yes, I understand that Zero. Kaname is looking into that. However, you cannot kill her simply because you promised yourself that you would kill all purebloods," The man tried to reason with the angered boy.

"She isn't exactly _innocent_! That dead…..drained human; her smell was all over him. You can't pretend to not know!" Zero Kiryu refused to see the reason behind Kaien's compassion. He, after all, existed solely to kill such inhuman monsters. "She killed him in cold blood!"

"I didn't want to!"

Two pairs of eyes turned to look at the person who had uttered the words. They were both frozen in the same astonished expression, none of them having noticed that the girl had regained consciousness. But a second later, the boy's facial expression returned to that of anger. He had snow white hair, exactly the colour of the snow that was falling outside. His eyes were of the prettiest colour that Aria herself had ever seen- a clear lavender just a shade darker than his hair. His skin was pale against the black school uniform that he wore.

The other was a man who seemed to be about 30 or so. His long light coloured haired was pulled up in a ponytail and his overall expression was kind and gentle- the exact opposite of the other.

"Of course you didn't," The young boy who seemed about her age or so, said, having regained his composure, as the anger and black sarcasm lined every word.

"I didn't! He just kept trying…to…help me….even though I told him not to!" She tried to refrain from breaking down and attempted at keeping up a strong composure. However, that all went down the drain as she could feel her voice shaking with every word. It was utterly humiliating to her. No matter how hard she tried for them to be a retort, it ended up sounding like a silent and pitiful plea.

"I don't have time for this," The boy with lavender eyes seemed unmoved at her words as he left the room, the permanent glare on his face an eminent gesture of his hatred for her.

Aria clenched her fists both in anger and sadness. She felt undeniably weak, physically but now her mental health had been disturbed by this sudden person who held nothing but hatred for her.

"I apologize for his behavior," A kind voice drifted to her ears. She stared at him, confused and surprised at being treated with such courtesy suddenly.

"Would you like to tell me your name my dear?" He asked, in the same tone.

"A-Aria Tsukihime," She managed to stutter after a while.

"That's a very pretty name," He gave her another gentle smile, "I'm Kaien Cross. The Headmaster of this school."

"School..?" Aria asked confusedly as she looked around her. Her surroundings resembled something more of an 18th Century church rather than a school and that was exactly what she had first taken this place to be.

"Yes. This is Cross Academy- a school where Vampires and Humans study together alternating between Night and Day Classes," She might have just been seeing things but Aria thought she saw a hint of joy and pride in his warm tenor.

"Would you like to tell us about how you came across that Level E? Surely, it is strange for a pureblood to be wandering in the cold like that," He said thoughtfully.

"I- I don't remember anything," Aria said, deciding to lie. She was a good actress but as she lied through her teeth, she could feel the nagging guilt in her stomach. This man had been unnaturally kind to her and she didn't like lying to him. But it was her only hope; for her as well as his sake, she had to lie.

"Ah, well. Just like Yuuki," He chuckled, "No matter! I'm very sure that you're tired so you can sleep in here tonight. I apologize for not giving you better accommodations." He smiled apologetically.

"I apologize for imposing myself on you," Aria said with a bow.

"No, no. I just think of it as gaining a new student!" He said with a smile and added after her confused looks, "You will be joining my school from tomorrow. Night class, of course," He gave another warm smile.

Aria sat there with a dumbfounded look before the comprehension finally dawned on her. She gave a hurried nod as he left, still smiling.

"If you're hungry, there's blood tablets in the corner drawer. Just mix them with water," He left with a wave, closing the door as he went out.

Aria sat there unmoving, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She was going to attend Cross Academy as a Vampire. How was that possible. She walked up to the mentioned drawer and opened it, curious as to what these 'blood tablets' might be. Of course the turned out to be nothing but tablets but once she dipped them in water, they dissolved to leave a crimson liquid. The smell of blood overwhelmed her as she drank it down in greedy gulps. True, it was not as good as human blood but it satiated her thirst nonetheless. Even though she had no right to do so, a small glimmer of hope rose in her. Perhaps her stay at Cross Academy wouldn't be too bad.

A bell rang through the school as the Day Class students scrambled out with their possessions in a hurry to catch a glimpse of the Night Class before they were all gone. After the departure of Akatsuki Kain, Hanabusa Aidou, Kuran Kaname, Yuuki Cross and Ruka, Touya Shiki and Rima had left shortly after. So now there only remained Ichijou- the only vampire of the graduating batch. The rest were new, and among them Aria, the only pureblood.

She entered through the gates as they opened and numerous screams could be heard from outside.

"Ichijou-senpai!"

"Rukawa-senpai!"

"Kuronuma-senpai!"

The deafening screeches were unending, as the Night Class headed through the pathway, often taking detours to greet the numerous students. They seemed to have stopped for a while, as many girls stepped forward to give presents to the various (male) students. Aria stood at the end of the line, waiting for the rest to go. She didn't particularly want to stand out of the crowd right now. She looked at her uniform, recalling the conversation with Chairman Cross. He had bought her two uniforms without any hesitation or permission and insisted that she check out her classes if she was feeling well. Overwhelmed by his great kindness, she had promised to pay him back and begun her first school day.

Her surroundings were bathed in white as the snow had been incessant the previous night. She looked around at the beautiful architecture of the school, amazed at its ascended beauty in the kingdom of white. That was, until her eyes fell on the Prefect. Chairman Cross called them 'Guardians' because of their roles of keeping the secret of Vampires. Sadly, one had left the school. And the only one left was….

…Zero Kiryu. He seemed to have noticed someone's gaze on him as he pushed the students away from the Vampires. His returning glance was nothing short of a glare and at that point, Aria knew that his feelings for her crossed the limit of loathing. There were numerous whispers around her, concerning her sudden appearances yet she didn't care about them. In the one second that Zero had glared at her, she had felt her glass wall crack. Not being able to look into those fiery orbs of lavender anymore, she turned away and followed as the rest of the class began their departure.

So much for a better life.

_Me: Har-low! I just wanted to say thankyou for reading my story thus far. I know this chapter might have been boring but I promise, it will get much more interesting as it progresses. I may have made mistakes, minor and major alike-please forgive me for that. But I haven't really watched all of Vampire Knight. Therefore, if there are any suggestions or blunders you have to point out, please leave it in the form of a review. I would nothing more than to have a review, no matter constructive criticism, suggestion or praise.=D_

_Zero: Are you done yet?_

_Me: No, Just one more thing. If any of you have the time or interest, please check out my other stories. =D_

_Zero: No, they're only here to see me._

_Me: Forgive my OOC Zero. *glares* And Remember to review!_


	2. Attacked

_**Lots of Thanks to ChibiLOL for the encouraging review.**_

_**Disclaimer: **__Vampire Knight is owned by_

_Only Ethereal's plot and the OC's belongs to me._

_**Rating:**__ T_

_**Warning:**__ Possible mistakes. Please forgive._

_**Pairing: **__ZEROxOC_

_-E-T-H-E-R-E-A-L-_

"You are…..a Vampire Hunter, am I right?" A light attempt at conversation and yet Aria was begging Zero to answer. A failed attempt….yet again. Zero refused to answer and simply stared ahead, the hatred in his face eminent.

Aria looked down at her feet, hands clenched. Zero's hatred towards her had not deteriorated in the least. If anything, it had increased. Normally, she wouldn't have cared so much if an ordinary person had loathed her this much. In fact, a lot of people did. But she didn't spend her days staying up, thinking of them. No, but Zero's case was different. Different because of the fact that she _knew _that he had every right to hate her. No matter what the cause, she had killed a person in cold blood. An innocent human- and there was no excuse for what she had done. And she couldn't rest without his forgiveness because the murder she had caused was a constant thorn by her side, coming back to haunt her in the form of nightmares.

Kaien Cross returned from outside, carrying a small bag of money. Aria's eyes widened as she shook her head to refuse what he was offering. She couldn't possibly have returned so much money. After Chairman Cross had constantly begged her to take the money with a dramatic speech, she had no choice but to comply. Having no clothes whatsoever, she decided to go shopping since it was a weekend. As she was exiting the room with one final glance at Zero, The Chairman's voice called out to him.

"Go with her, would you Zero? She might get lost." He smiled innocently, as if he had no idea of his antagonism towards her.

Aria considered that it was possible that she would get lost. The fact that she hadn't exactly made any good friends, was shameful. Ichijou was being extremely kind to her and he seemed more like a human than anything else, but everyone else simply ignored her. She felt more pathetic than anything.

She watched as Zero glared openly at the smiling man and getting no reaction from anyone, he uttered a light sigh and headed out the door as Aria stared after him.

"Don't worry. He's just a little bitter," Kaien Cross reassured her. She wasn't sure whether 'little' was the correct word but followed him nonetheless, praying he hadn't just gone back to his dorm.

Stepping outside, Aria spotted Zero leaning against the gates and she went towards him as he wordlessly led the way. The town was a flurry of activities as Christmas was approaching soon. Here, as well, the scenery was entirely white with different dots of colours. A cold wind blew past as she wrapped her arms around herself. The light white cloth did not give too much protection against the cold.

Zero had apparently noticed this as he led her to a cloth store with numerous varieties of sweaters and jackets. Aria's eyes lit up at the sight as she ran inside and bought the cheapest one she could find. After all, waste not, want not. She bought mitts, a scarf and a few extra clothes for casual wear before getting out through the nearest exit. But something was definitely wrong. She didn't recognize any of the surroundings. Moreover, Zero wasn't there. Her eyes widened slightly as she considered the possibility that he might have just stranded her. No, that couldn't be true. Zero didn't seem like that kind of person. So where in the world was she?

She had no time to ponder the question as a sudden flash of pain attacked her arm. The effects were immediate, as she began to feel drowsy. What was going on? She slowly slipped into the unconsciousness.

"She's got no contacts or anything! How the hell are we supposed to ask for ransom money?" An angry voice yelled.

Aria winced slightly at the pain in her arm, as she opened her eyes emerging from the depths of unconsciousness. She seemed to be fainting quite a lot these days. She smelled the scent of humans as they sat before her discussing, undoubtedly, about what to do with her. She realized that she had been kidnapped but only by humans. They weren't too much of a threat to her.

"It doesn't matter! Tha' man's payin' us enough to give her to him anyway!" Another angry voice retaliated.

Man? What man could they possibly have been talking about? Confusing thoughts whirled in Aria's head as she tried to tear the ropes binding her. To her surprise, she couldn't even move. It was as if her body was entirely paralyzed. How could they have done that to a Vampire? She struggled against the bonds as the smell of fresh blood hit her nose. Her eyes flashed up to the large man standing above her. He had a gash in his left cheek and the wound was still fresh. Aria felt the maddening thirst rise in her throat. This wasn't good at all. Given the circumstances, for once, she was glad that she was paralyzed. Had there been nothing to restrain her, she didn't know what she might have done. Aria cursed herself for not taking the blood tablet in the morning. She was a disgrace to all purebloods.

"Well, hello there young lady." He grinned a toothless grin, the smell of garlic wafting up to her nose. It was disgusting beyond compare but the only thing that she could smell was his blood.

"You think he'd mind if we played with her for a while?" The man asked his companions. Aria could feel her arms and legs struggling to move. She couldn't be paralyzed for too long.

"She's paralyzed ain't she?" Another menacing chuckle.

"Yeah, but we didn't give her the entire dosage," The fat man in front of her grinned.

"Get. Away!" Tsukihime yelled as a warning praying that whatever dosage she had obtained would be enough to restrain her from killing them.

"A little touchy aren't you, _Moon Princess_," He sneered sadistically, his hands trailing down from her forehead to her neck and slowly going lower.

Aria felt her arms moving and the next thing she knew the ropes were torn, beside her. Her eyes glimmered crimson as she stepped forward. The men were afraid, she could see that written all over their faces.

_Yes, revel in their fear.._

The voice whispered to her. It only came whenever she was about to attack someone. She felt the overwhelming thirst consume her and tried to restrain herself.

"I warned you," She said, uttering a guttural growl. A single jump and she had one of the men in her clutches. She sunk her fangs into his warm capillaries reveling in the sweet crimson liquid as she drunk it greedily. A shot was fired and she felt a searing pain in her shoulder. The next thing she knew, she was slipping back into the realm of darkness….again.

Metallic, salty and yet so sweet. The stench of blood drifted up to her nostrils as Aria opened her eyes in a flash.

"Aria! What happened here?" Chairman Cross came running up to her, the worry evident in his eyes.

"I-I don't remember…" She said, her eyes wide with fear. This was no lie. She had no memory of what had just happened but the scenario was so familiar. She saw a limp man on the ground, the blood pooling around him as it dripped from his throat.

"I….I killed him…" The girl whispered, the horror of the incident had just hit her. It was always like this. She never had a single memory of how she killed her victims. Just a sense of déjà vu and the lingering smell of blood in the area. She was sick and tired of it- the disgusting process.

Kaien Cross stood there with another teacher she recognized to be Toga Yagari. Both of them staring sympathetically at her. It was clear that she was telling the transparent truth. The two quietly left the room to go outside where she could hear other voices. Tears pooled in her eyes as she realized that she had murdered yet another person.

She brought her knees up to her chest and cried hysterically as a shadow fell above her. It was Zero. His glance was as cold as always and she realized that he must have been the one to shoot her while she was drinking the man's blood.

"Y-you should have just killed me!" She yelled, the tears coming down freely. She didn't deserve to live. No matter who he was or what he had done in the past, she had had no right to take his life. She had taken the life of two people in cold blood.

"Believe me, I tried," Kiryu's voice was colder than ever, "Kaien stopped me."

"I should never have run away….He was right. I'm just a monster who should stay away from anyone," She whispered to herself, clenching her fists around her hair no matter how much it hurt.

"What are you talking about?" Zero asked.

"I killed my own parents when I was little. They were humans who had adopted me and for a while I lived as humans with them. That was, until I met Karuha." She uttered his name in a clear loathing manner, "He introduced me to my heritage of a vampire. He said my real parents had died a long time ago. He told me I was a monster who needed to stay away from people. He took me to his home and kept me there for eight years, never letting me out. I ran away from there a few days ago since I couldn't take anymore. I thought I had overcome my thirst," She uttered a mocking dark humored laughed, "But, as always, I was wrong."

Aria's nails dug into her palm leaving small cuts as more tears flowed down her cheek. At that moment, Kaien and Yagari re entered the room.

"Aria, you can go back to the school. Zero will assist you, " Chairman Cross's voice was serious as he helped Aria up, and, for once, Zero assisted her without hesitation. He walked her slowly, outside, where the snow was falling. Her entire white uniform was drenched in crimson. He opened his own coat and handed it to her wordlessly.

"People will ask questions if they notice your clothes," He answered her inquiring look. She took it with a nod and put it around her as she followed him wordlessly back to the school.

~~E-T-H-E-R-E-A-L~~

_**A/N: **__Hello again. I don't have much to say here. Just wanted to remind you to leave a review. =D_

_Comments, praises, suggestions, constructive criticism are all welcome. So….pleeeaassee…_

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